GAMEDAY: Five Things To Know About MSU-Montana

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State continues its four-game homestand to start the 2021-22 season when Montana visits Humphrey Coliseum on Saturday evening.

The Bulldogs, who are receiving votes in the Associated Press top 25 poll, have won 35 of their last 36 non-conference home games under seventh-year head coach Ben Howland. State's non-conference home slate features five programs, who earned top three finishes in their respective conferences last season.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (1-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. Montana (1-0, 0-0 Big Sky)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Saturday, November 13, 6:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

Stream: SEC Network+ (Watch ESPN App Only)
Talent: Bart Gregory, Charlie Winfield
Online: Watch ESPN App (Cable Subscription Required)
(https://hailst.at/WatchESPN)

Radio: Mississippi State Sports Network – Powered by Learfield IMG College
Talent: Jim Ellis, Richard Williams
Affiliates: WKBB-FM 100.9 Starkville/West Point (Full List: https://hailst.at/MBKAffiliates)
Free Online Audio: Hail State Plus (https://hailst.at/MBKListen); The Varsity Network App

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Mississippi State piled up three consecutive 20-plus win seasons from 2017-18 to 2019-20 and have made three consecutive postseason appearances. The 87 total victories for the Bulldogs since the start of 2017-18 is tied for fourth-highest in the SEC with Arkansas and LSU. The Bulldogs trail only Auburn, Kentucky and Tennessee.

2. Mississippi State's coaching staff led by Ben Howland along with assistant coaches George Brooks, Korey McCray and Ernie Zeigler are in their seventh season together in Starkville during the 2021-22 season. The Bulldogs coaching quartet is second-longest tenured group at the Power 5 level only behind the West Virginia staff entering its 10th season under Bob Huggins.

3. Mississippi State came racing out of the gates and built a 22-point advantage in the game's opening 15 minutes en route to a 75-49 rout of North Alabama during Wednesday's season opener. The Bulldogs registered 12 steals, seven blocks and limited the Lions to a 31.1 percent shooting clip. State scored 24 of the game's 28 points off turnovers and boasted a 23-4 edge in fastbreak points.

Garrison Brooks fired in a game-leading 18 points followed by Iverson Molinar with 13 points. Cam Carter gave the Maroon and White three players in double figures with 11 points on a flawless 4-of-4 shooting effort off the bench, while Cameron Matthews stuffed the stats sheet with seven points, 14 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals.

4. Mississippi State is on the verge of welcoming Tolu Smith and Rocket Watts into the rotation. Smith was the SEC's leading rebounder and paced the conference in double-doubles. Watts piled up 67.4 percent of his points and recorded 12 of his 18 games in double figures against Big Ten opponents last season.

Brooks and Watts are joined by D.J. Jeffries (Memphis) and Shakeel Moore (North Carolina State) to give State a quartet of impact transfers.

Jeffries was a 2020-21 preseason All-AAC Second-Team pick and secured 482 points and 26 games in double figures over his two seasons at Memphis.

Moore collected 75.3 percent of his points, 76.2 percent of his rebounds, 72.1 percent of his assists and 68.6 percent of his steals against ACC opponents during his freshman season at NC State.

5. Mississippi State's roster also features Derek Fountain, Anderrson Garcia and Cameron Mathews who each had solid moments during their freshmen seasons and will look to continue to grow in their roles as sophomores. The freshmen class features Alden Applewhite, Cam Carter and KeShawn Murphy.

FROM THE LOCKER ROOM – HEAD COACH BEN HOWLAND
"It was great to have people back in the stands and be loud again. For us, we elected to play both of our exhibition games against Division 1 schools where we couldn't play in front of a crowd, but we wanted the better competition which would help us prepare. The game Wednesday had me a little nervous in that aspect it was the first time playing in front of people for our new players. I think they played great, and they were excited about it. It was very exiting four our team to have fans in the stands."

"Montana is good team. They're picked to win their conference and go to the NCAA tournament again. They are a very well-coached and have really have a good system … They have five outstanding perimeter players. They have a lot of depth and are a team that is going to be a challenge to defend. They are going to be aggressive defensively. They will double ball screens, and they will hedge ball screens. They really get after you and try to pressure you. We're going to have to be very on top of our game to be successful".

SERIES HISTORY
Mississippi State and Montana have met one time on the hardwood. The Bulldogs emerged with a 90-85 double overtime road victory on December 3, 1994. State finished that season with a 22-8 record and earned a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 before falling to eventual national champion UCLA.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
Montana is a member of the Big Sky Conference and has averaged 21.3 wins per season dating back to 2017-18 and appeared in two of the last three NCAA Tournaments.

The Grizzlies posted an impressive 74-27 lopsided victory over Dickinson State. Josh Bannan led the way with a double-double, 15 points and 10 rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs take on Detroit Mercy on Wednesday from the Horizon League. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. CT carried online by SEC Network+ and the Watch ESPN app.

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

GAMEDAY: Five Things To Know About MSU-Montana

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Players Mentioned

Alden Applewhite

Garrison Brooks

Cam Carter

Derek Fountain

D.J. Jeffries

Cameron Matthews

Iverson Molinar

Shakeel Moore

KeShawn Murphy

Tolu Smith III

Rocket Watts

Mississippi State University Athletics